There's no hiding the love affair between Anthony Poindexter and Virginia — the university, football program and state.

Poindexter is considered one of the football program's all-time greats and most beloved alums. A two-time All-American safety, his jersey No. 3 was retired after his career ended in 1998. He also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2003 to 2013.

His parents still live in Lynchburg, Va., where he grew up.

Now UConn's defensive coordinator, he'll temporarily set aside his warm feelings Saturday as the Huskies host Virginia (1:30 p.m., SNY) in a non-conference game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Poindexter called it just the next game on UConn's schedule. But, given his strong ties, it's far from your average Saturday afternoon tussle for him.

"My family and I spent a lot of time in southern Virginia and it's home," said Poindexter, whose parents plan on attending the game. "I know quite a few kids on the team. It will be weird being on the opposite sideline. My history there is long. I was fortunate to be there for a long time and be with some great people."

"But I've been fortunate to come (to UConn) and help turn this program around. It's just part of the business. ... I just have one week I have to go against them. This is it. This week is about UConn."

The game is important for both programs.

UConn is looking to bounce back from a tough 28-24 loss at Navy last week and move to 2-1 overall. Virginia, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is still searching for its first win after opening with losses to Richmond and at Nov. 24 Oregon.

Virginia is rebuilding the program under first-year coach Bronco Mendenhall, who led BYU to 11 straight bowl appearances during his successful run.

Mendenhall's BYU team beat UConn twice, 35-10 in 2014 in East Hartford in Bob Diaco's head coaching debut and 30-13 last season in Utah.

"I've known him for a long time, over 10 years," Poindexter said. "I know how he runs a program. He's putting his mark on it. ... There's a lot of familiar stuff that we watched on tape that BYU did. ... They improved after week one. They started making some hay at Oregon. They have one of the best backfields we'll see all year and a whole crew of wide receivers who are capable players who make plays downfield.

"I expect them to come up here and give us their best."

Virginia has gained momentum since the start of the season despite their defeats. Running back Albert Reid piled up over 100 yards in both games and powered a rushing attack that averaged 7.1 yards per attempt in the 44-26 loss to Oregon on Saturday. Quarterback Kurt Benkert has thrown for 457 yards and five touchdowns but also been intercepted three times.

The Cavaliers have struggled defensively, allowing 578 yards (244 on the ground, 334 in the air) per game.

Slow starts have hampered the Huskies through two games. They've been outscored 28-14 in the first half and held a 34-21 advantage in the second half. They're focused on reversing that trend on Saturday.

"We're going to go out against Virginia and just expect the best out of everyone on the field," UConn defensive end Luke Carrezola said.

If the defense hits as hard as Poindexter did during his playing career, the Huskies will be in decent shape.

Poindexter made what is considered one of the Virginia program's biggest defensive plays, helping stuff Florida State's Warrick Dunn just short of the goal line on the game's final play in an upset victory in 1995, ending the Seminoles' 29-game conference winning streak.

"The guy was a player," said Carrezola, who's seen clips of Poindexter's play on YouTube. "They had his jersey retired. Just being able to talk to him about who he played with... and the team he had there just sounded incredible. I knew he was a great player.

Poindexter isn't the only member of the UConn coaching staff with ties to Virginia.

Head coach Bob Diaco was the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for the Cavaliers from 2006 to 2008 while co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Vincent Brown was graduate assistant (2007) and assistant coach for four seasons at Virginia. Quarterback coach Wayne Lineburg played on three bowl teams and also was an assistant there from 2007-2009.

g.keefe@theday.com